The Dragon's Head Gathering (2)
“Isn’t that the classmate we saw this morning?”
“Y-yes…?”
At that single remark, the timid girl visibly flinched.
“Oh, right. She ran away so fast we didn’t even get to introduce ourselves, did we?”
“H-huh?!”
Her strong reaction to the word “introduce” suggested she had been thinking about it too.
“Um… greetings…”
“My name is Kim Si-woo. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Lee Haneul.”
The timid girl seemed burdened even by a simple greeting.
“I’m Peony! Looking forward to getting along!”
When Peony finished with a bright smile, the girl shrank back like mold touched by sunlight.
“I-I’m… Seo Yoon…”
Seo Yoon. Just as I thought, it was a name I had never heard in the game from my previous life.
“You were judged as Dragon’s Head rank, right? The three of us were assigned to the same class.”
“Mhm! We were super active because we’re really strong! Kim Si-woo and Lee Haneul are incredibly powerful!”
“I… I saw you too… The three of you doing that weird thing…”
“Ah! You saw it! That was a tactic I came up with—”
A tactic I never wanted to repeat. As if agreeing with my thoughts, the protagonist glanced my way and frowned.
“But did you see it on the news? You didn’t seem to be there when we were stopping the gate erosion in the auditorium.”
It was possible her ability wasn’t suited for combat, or she simply lacked experience with gates. Even with a high rank, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have hidden.
“That’s too much… We fought together in the auditorium…”
The timid girl shrank even smaller.
“In the auditorium? I don’t remember seeing you at all… Did you see her, Peony?”
“N-nope?”
If even an elf’s eyes couldn’t spot her, she must have hidden somewhere very carefully while fighting.
“Then… I’ll… I’ll be going now…”
Clearly disappointed that no one had noticed her contribution, Seo Yoon quickly stood up before anyone could say another word and trudged toward the exit. Strangely, the farther she got, the lighter her steps became. By the time she finally neared the door, her expression brightened as if she had been liberated.
Just then, someone came sprinting over, grabbed her by the shoulder, and dragged her back.
“I saw this kid’s performance,” declared the black-haired, long-haired man who had brought her back.
The boy, who had a similar build to Seo Yoon, was also wearing a school uniform like the rest of us.
“Ah, I remember you from the auditorium. You’re the Mop Guy, right?”
“Mop Guy? I did fight with a mop, but is that really how you remember me?”
During the first wave in the auditorium, Mop Guy had charged at monsters wielding a mop only to get pushed back helplessly. It was only after receiving Peony’s buff that he somehow managed to hold off a large number of them.
“My name isn’t Mop Guy. It’s Do Min. I only used the mop temporarily after reinforcing it with my ability.”
“And since I unintentionally overheard your introductions, there’s no need for me to introduce myself again.”
So this Do Min person was eavesdropping too.
“It’s not nice to go around listening in on people.”
“What can I do when I can hear it! My ears are just naturally sharp. Hahaha.”
“How shameless…”
“Anyway, the one who protected my rear with summons during the fight in the auditorium was Seo Yoon.”
A summoning ability? That would explain why she stayed out of sight. The standard strategy for summoners was to deploy powerful summons while the main body hid.
“Using summons to fight, her combat power was certainly worthy of being called Dragon’s Head rank.”
At the praise, Seo Yoon looked flustered but her expression softened with clear pleasure.
“However, it was a bit disappointing. The summons moved sluggishly, and above all, the ability user just stood still in the corner. It was a huge waste.”
At the sudden criticism, Seo Yoon wilted again. Still, she seemed to have something to say and forced her mouth open.
“B-but… stepping forward isn’t always the best choice…”
Her voice had shrunk to a whisper as she lowered her gaze to the floor.
“Why not? The summons fight and I fight too. Isn’t that a good strategy?”
But Seo Yoon, having used up all her energy on her previous answer, simply slumped down.
“Ughhh…”
“Why are you so down? Is it because you lack courage?” Peony asked.
“Yes… I think so… People have always told me I have no courage…”
Seo Yoon hung her head.
“There are so many things I want to say… so many things I want to do… but I’m too scared…”
“Then shall I give you some courage, Seo Yoon?”
“Y-yes…?”
With those words, Peony created an arrow of her ability in her palm. The arrow she held glowed with a brilliant green light—fitting for an arrow of courage. By pure coincidence, it was the exact same color as the Courage Potion you could buy at a convenience store for two thousand won.
“Wait… what is that arrow?”
“This is an arrow of courage I made with my ability. One hit and even a horned rabbit would stand up to a butterfly tiger! Pretty amazing, right?”
“Amazing? It looks like it would hurt a lot!”
“Not at all. Like this.”
Peony created another arrow in her other hand and stabbed it straight into the protagonist’s shoulder. Even though a red arrow was now embedded in his body, he showed no particular reaction. Seeing that, Seo Yoon still expressed full-body rejection.
“But what if it hurts when I get hit? And maybe the magic won’t work well on me…”
“Seo Yoon. That’s all because you lack courage! Once you get hit, you’ll be fine.”
Peony spun the arrow between her fingers in a flashy display, like a gambler showing off a trick.
“No! I think I can live just fine without courage!”
Now that real danger was approaching, Seo Yoon stopped stuttering.
“No, just try it! I’m sure your mind will change after you get hit once.”
“It’s a buff that disappears quickly anyway, so what’s the big deal?”
“I’ve been hit by it myself and I can tell you the buff’s effect is truly outstanding!”
“I think it’ll be fun, so I vote yes.”
“Ah… ugh…”
In the end, the question of whether to administer the Arrow of Courage was decided by majority vote.
"Courage Arrow, pierce the heart that cowers in fear."
⟨ Arrow of Courage ⟩
“Okay, relax. It won’t… sting.”
Imitating a doctor giving an injection she must have seen somewhere, Peony plunged the arrow into Seo Yoon’s arm. However, Seo Yoon had her eyes squeezed shut and her ears covered, so she probably couldn’t hear anything.
The arrow emitted a green glow as it slowly sank into her body.
“Seo Yoon, how do you feel? Does anything seem different?”
“Ugh…”
“Ugh…?”
The girl who had been curled up on the chair slowly straightened her shoulders and back. As if to prove her tall stature wasn’t just for show, she now towered over everyone except the protagonist. Then she slowly turned her head toward Peony.
“I think it’s wrong to force people and experiment on them. And what kind of tactic is ‘human skewer’? Do you think fighting is a game?”
“N-nyeh?!”
“Honestly, that tactic only worked because Haneul’s ability barely held it together. Otherwise we would’ve been shredded by fragments and turned into wooden skewers.”
“Still… if Si-woo dodged and I…”
“What if a monster used an attack that couldn’t be destroyed? If we’re all clustered together, one hit would wipe us all out, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s too much…”
The awakened Seo Yoon had no filter whatsoever.
“And you, Mop Man.”
“Mop Man…?”
“You’re a summoner. Don’t you know you’re supposed to place your summons in the front line for a war of attrition? Are you really throwing away certain victory just for a momentary offensive?”
“No, I…”
“And you said my golems were sluggish? Yet you were the one who got pushed back by that many monsters?”
“That was because I didn’t have a weapon…”
“Would you like me to show you what happens when a summoner like me prepares in advance and fights? Among the people here, I could probably beat everyone except Haneul.”
“Ugh…”
She dismantled each of them one by one with her sharp tongue.
“And Si-woo. Why did Haneul go into your room?”
“Pffft.”
“Of course I only saw it by chance, and it’s not my place to comment, but Haneul isn’t an adult yet.”
“We didn’t do anything!”
“I assumed there was no improper interaction, but I think it’s better not to do anything that could cause major misunderstandings.”
“That’s…”
“You know, right? No matter what the truth is, how it looks can become a problem.”
“Ugh…”
And then came the long-awaited turn for me.
“And Haneul.”
“Yes…?”
“No matter how pure Si-woo’s intentions were, entering a boy’s room alone is not good behavior.”
“When did you see that?”
“I saw it by chance. I have a habit of stationing my scout golems near doors.”
So she was using her own summons like security cameras. What an impressive habit.
“If you keep acting that defenseless, you might end up… well, various things… Actually, I’ll tell you about that when you’re older.”
Who was going to do what to whom?!
“In an emergency, I can just subdue Si-woo.”
“That’s right. Haneul is incredibly strong. So strong it’s hard to measure her limits. But she has a weakness.”
“A weakness?”
She pointed at her chest. For a moment, my face crumpled.
“Why are you thinking about breast size first? You perverted… The answer is the heart. You only open your heart to certain people, don’t you?”
“Huh…?”
“You distinguish between ‘my people’ and ‘not my people’ when forming relationships. For example, the way you treat Si-woo is completely different, isn’t it?”
“No it’s not!”
That’s only because he’s the protagonist!
“I haven’t known Haneul for long, but the moment you open your heart, you seem like the type who would give away your liver and gallbladder… Mmph—!”
I used telekinesis to shove a napkin straight into her mouth.
“Uwaaa…”
My face burned hot. It was a lie. Everything was a lie!
“No, it’s all nonsense! Right, everyone?”
Hahaha.
We kept laughing awkwardly until we saw the now-shriveled Seo Yoon and finally stopped. And so, the “courage injection” operation, which left everyone wounded, came to an end.